Lovington's poundmaster is cop to city's 9,000 dogs

Not dog catcher, not even animal control officer. Poundmaster. Says so right there on his badge.

Lee Roy Mitchell is the top cop of the dog world. Just like in the people world, the appearance of a cop brings different emotions: fear, respect and sometimes an urge to flee.

Dogs have that experience when they see the familiar city pickup with the cages in the back. To a dog, it's a vision of the paddy wagon. If he is a miscreant ninzip he's off with Mitchell hot behind.

Mitchell bails out of his pickup in pursuit of errant canines constantly. The rubber is gone from his brake pedal and there's a hole worn in the floor mat where he plants his foot. Also, the pickup odometer has rolled over a couple of times.

The poundmaster, who works solo, has a lot of ground to cover and he's vastly outnumbered. Mitchell says there's no dog census in Lovington, but he would agree there are as many dogs as there are people in this town.

That means he's cop to maybe 9,000 dogs.

Of course, not all of them require Mitchell's attention. If you keep your pet under control and properly cared for, chances are Mitchell will never come calling.

But there are plenty of dogs on the loose and that keeps

Mitchell busy. "I pick up four, or six, or maybe eight a day," he said.

These go to the pound south of Chaparral Park. They are kept for three days and - sad to say - are put to sleep if no one claims or adopts them. From 20 to 30 dogs meet this fate every month.

Mitchell is lenient with pet owners and hands out warnings to those who are trying to cooperate. But he writes citations for owners who abuse city ordinances. If doggies end up in jail, owners must pay a $3 a day pound fee to get them back. The dogs also must have a rabies shots and tags before leaving.

And a ticket for having a loose dog is usually $25 in municipal court.

It isn't hard to imagine that Mitchell gets in some sticky situations chasing stray dogs. But, amazingly, he has never been bitten in five years. He carries no weapon and doesn't use pepper spray.

But he does have a handy defensive tool, called a "catch-all," which has a steel cable loop at the end which can be slipped over a dog's head and tightened.

Mitchell has a way with dogs that seem mean. "The Rottweilers and pit bulls are the breeds I usually have trouble with," he says, "but sometimes you can call them and they're just like little puppies. Sometimes they will even jump in the truck."